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Target Engagement Services
Target engagement is the critical link between binding and function. We design flexible, cell-based assays to confirm on-target activity, reduce risk, and accelerate development of potent candidates.
Binding Does Not Assume Function — Explore Target Engagement Services
Through custom cell-based and biochemical engagement assays, we connect binding with function, delivering structure–activity relationship (SAR) insights and mechanism-of-action (MoA) validation to improve drug quality, clinical confidence, and success.
Broad Cell Line Access
We offer established or custom cell models, tailoring engagement assays to disease-relevant biology.
Flexibility of readouts
From colorimetric and fluorimetric enzymatic assays to luminescent and fluorescent reporter systems, Ichor scientists offer sensitive, quantitative, and multiplexed measurement of target engagement.
Target Engagement at Every Stage
Our team produces recombinant proteins and applies diverse biophysical platforms, which can be seamlessly followed with in-cell target engagement studies for a bundled solution.
Orthogonal Approaches to Target Engagement
Explore powerful, complementary methods to confirm compound binding and functional activity within cellular contexts.
End-to-end Assay Development
From Protein Expression to Activity Validation
By partnering with us, your target engagement project will benefit from Ichor’s ability to express and purify enzymes in-house, confirming functional activity through substrate turnover assays so you start with a validated system you can trust.
Custom Target Engagement Assay Development
With Ichor, your compounds can be profiled in tailored biochemical assays — such as inorganic phosphate release — benchmarked against standards of care to deliver comparative potency, selectivity, and structure–activity relationship insights.
Capabilities and Services Summary
Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)
FRET for Cellular Target Engagement
In the context of drug discovery, FRET assays extend beyond simple binding detection by confirming that a compound interacts with its intended target in a cellular environment, where factors such as compartmentalization, trafficking, and competitive interactions influence true biological activity. At Ichor, we employ Operetta CLS to measure FRET for your biologics interactions with the intracellular target. This makes FRET particularly valuable for distinguishing compounds that engage their target under physiologically relevant conditions from those that only demonstrate binding in purified protein systems.
Co-Immunoprecipitation
Co-IP for Target Engagement Validation
Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) remains a cornerstone technique for validating protein–protein interactions and assessing the impact of compound binding on complex formation in a cellular context. At Ichor, we tailor co-IP studies to client projects by combining optimized antibodies, engineered or endogenous cell systems, and orthogonal readouts such as Western blotting or mass spectrometry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read more to find the right assay for your discovery needs.